Once Upon a Time offered alternative story arcs to just about every story ever told! I enjoyed their version of the story very much. They did something similar on the TV show Supernatural, with the addition that some mention was made of book characters who never appeared in the MGM movie.
I absolutely agree that books are better--but I write books, so I would say that. The movie version of The Wizard of Oz skipped over about half the things that happened in the book, so it would have made a great TV series, covering more details.
RE: Happy birthday to Wizard of Oz -- the movie